When Does Your Child Start Losing Milk Teeth?

3 to 7 years

Created by Urvashi Shah
Updated on Jan 06, 2019

Since the birth of your child, every kind of development in his/her life is like achieving a milestone, be it his/her first crawl, walk and even teething. Your child will feel cranky, feverish and even itchy in his/her mouth during teething. Milk teeth are the first sets of teeth which an individual has by the time he/she turns 3 years of age. A child's 20 set of baby teeth fall out in the same order that they came in, starting from the lower centre teeth with the top centre pair being the next to go.

A baby tooth doesn't loosen until the permanent tooth below is ready to push its way upwards. But it is possible for little ones to lose their milk teeth sooner before time due to an accident or some kind of dental disease. Know how to handle tooth injuries in toddlers & precautions you take .

Losing Baby Teeth: What to Expect and When?

Some children lose their first baby tooth as early as during 4 years of age while some even as late until 7 years of age. If your child was way younger when the teeth came in, the sooner they will fall out.

But if your child begins losing his milk teeth before he/she turns 4 years of age, you need to consult a dentist to make sure there is no problem underlying. It is also possible for a child to reach the age of 7 or 8 and not yet lose his/her milk teeth.

Things To Remember When Milk Teeth Start Falling

Encourage your child to gently wiggle the loose tooth but not to push or pull it hard before it is ready to fall or else it will only make the broken root more vulnerable to possible infections. If the loose tooth refuses to come out, a visit to the dentist will be of help

The new teeth will appear to be bigger than the ones before because they are permanent teeth and will also be less white in colour and might have ridges since they haven't been used much for biting and eating purpose

Shark's teeth is also a phenomena wherein a couple of permanent teeth come in even before the old ones are gone leading to two rows of teeth which is a temporary state and will deter away with time

Your child might complain of soreness in the back of his/her mouth due to the new molars coming in and a visit to the dentist will help relieve the pain

Once your child starts getting his/her permanent teeth, brushing them has to be taken care of. Teach your child to brush twice a day in the right technique

You need to replace toothbrushes every 3 to 4 months to reduce the harmful bacteria which can lead to various dental issues in later stages of life

Your child might be happy to see his/her milk teeth fall away with the new one erupting with time while some also tend to get anxious and scared due to the possible pain being felt. It is wise to have regular dental check up being done which will keep your child at bay from possible infections and also enlighten you on the things related to your little one's permanent teeth.